Former Kerala Minister and current Left Front legislator Antony Raju has been sentenced to three years in prison by the Nedumangad Judicial First Class Magistrate Court for tampering with material evidence. Raju, who is an MLA of Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, a member of the LDF, was found guilty earlier in the day, with the sentence being pronounced in the evening. Despite the conviction, bail was granted to Raju and another accused, allowing them a month to appeal to higher courts.
With the jail term exceeding two years, Raju faces disqualification from the Kerala Assembly and will be unable to contest future elections, as per Supreme Court rulings. The charges against him included criminal conspiracy, destruction of evidence, and falsification of evidence. Raju received varying prison terms for different charges, including six months for conspiracy, three years of rigorous imprisonment for destroying evidence, and three years for creating false evidence. Additionally, he was sentenced to two years for a forgery-related offense linked to the case.
The case revolves around allegations of tampering with material evidence to aid a foreign national accused in a narcotics case. The evidence in question was a piece of underwear presented as ‘thondimuthal’ (evidence). Raju, the second accused in the case, and another individual were convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. The incident dates back to 1990 when an Australian national was arrested for smuggling contraband, leading to a series of legal proceedings that have now culminated in these convictions.
